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With its brick masonry, flat rooflines, and modest street presence on a corner block in Glen Iris, House Freddie by Studio Bright feels undeniably mid-century.
From the outside, you can hardly detect that the suburban 1960s building has been recently adapted for modern-day life, complete with improved thermal performance, a new parents’ retreat, and delightful gardens, renewed by Peachy Green. But that is entirely the point.
‘While the house retained a strong architectural character and robust underlying structure, its modest planning had lost some of the spatial clarity and intent inherent to its original mid-century typology,’ Studio Bright founder Mel Bright says.
The clients — a couple with three boys — enlisted the studio to reconcile the home’s compartmentalised layout to create a more generous floor plan, without resorting to a large-scale extension that would disrupt its nostalgic character.
Instead, the project sought to make better use of what was already there.
Retaining the scale of the single-story abode, the original internal layout was reworked to improve circulation. Tweaks to the entry sequence now provide a clear path into the main social spaces, with sightlines into the inviting gardens at the rear.
In lieu of a single, expansive open-plan living zone, Studio Bright established a series of interconnected rooms that allow the family to gather, while still accommodating separate activities.
Timber steps mark the level change from the kitchen down to a new crazy-paved dining area, nestled within the clever addition: a breezeblock tower.
‘Rather than extending broadly across the site, the addition is expressed vertically, reducing its footprint and preserving the expansive garden as a defining feature of the property,’ Mel says.
Alongside the dining room on the ground floor, the tower conceals the carport, as upstairs contains the main bedroom and en suite, where treetop views meet contemporary timber-lined interiors.
The tower’s breezeblock skin references the masonry of the original carport, reinterpreting the existing material language for a contemporary intervention.
This overarching interplay between old and new also comes through in the colour palette. A splash of deep green defines the transition between the existing house and the addition, showcased in the green island bench and timber-stained panels.
The result has exceeded the clients’ expectations, providing them with even more reverence for their beloved mid-century home, immersed in its newfound garden oasis.
‘Ultimately, the design was driven by the idea of repair rather than replacement: retaining the qualities that gave the original house its character, while introducing a precise contemporary intervention that allows it to evolve for a new generation.’
